Dungeons & Dragons storylines
by daughters of astra
Summary: This is my first time doing something like this. Basically, I really enjoy writing stories and my love for D&D is equal to that so I thought I'd combine em'. This storyline is made up entirely from me, so I hope you enjoy it :), -Aeris


Chapter 1

Aearion

Astra's servants had granted him a night of purple sky. The stars shown greatly, dancing in the sky, and the moon, ever watchful, waiting for its mistress to return. A young elven man was leaving his home, not forever, but simply to hunt. The Hunt. That's what it was known as; the High Elves had a chance to prove their worth as hunters at this ceremony. Elvebrindel had granted them a white deer this time, finding such an elusive creature would be difficult, but this young elf had some idea where the creature may be. Aearion, son of the late King Fellius and Queen Celestia, had been chosen to join the hunt. Fifteen members of the High Elves had been chosen for such a task, and just being chosen would be considered a high honour. The Council of the High Elves had been doubtful when the Druid, Lathron, had chosen Aearion, by elvish standards he was considered young, being at the age of seven hundred and five. He was, however, willing to prove the Council wrong, and was willing to prove that he had not been chosen simply because of his high statues. His mother had disliked the idea, his younger brother even more so, but Aearion had a habit of not listening to his family.

The lanterns that guided the pathways to Naracion, known to man as the Great Tree of the High Elves, began to dwindle as Aearion walked deeper and deeper into the thick forest. He began climbing upon a tree and closed his eyes. The goddess of nature and Elves, Elvebrindel, had gifted him the power of foresight. Peace and meditation was needed to summon such a gift, and up here in the trees, he had much of what he needed. An image flashed before his eyes, a glowing white figure was drinking from one of the lakes and waterfalls that covered Aranion forest. But there was something more distinctive there, the flowers, Reays, grew in this certain patch. Reays was favoured among the High Elves, they were seen as gifts of fertility and fortune, when an elf gifted one of them to another, it was deemed as a proposal to be bond mates, though the happening of this was rare and few. Aearion understood that Raeys grew towards the south, the image of the waterfall wasn't very distinctive, but he was sure there would be tracks to help him find the gift of Elvebrindel. Aearion began to run swiftly and quietly across the thick branches that covered Aranion forest, he would stop and listen often to make sure he was not followed by another, the Goddess of Fortune seemed to be with him, for nothing bad became of him so far. As he began nearing the place, the elf began searching for tracks that might give away the beasts position, though nothing was making itself apparent to him yet. He continued to walk to the place of his vision, not a soul lay next to the waterfall, though Aearion noticed tracks leading into another part of the forest. He jumped down to the ground, letting his eyes and senses guide him towards the White Deer. _Snap _there was a sudden sound in front of him, but it was difficult to see what it could be as the vines and trees grew thick here. Squinting, his eyes and drawing his blade, he slowly began to walk into the thick vines. A sudden force pushed him down to the ground and saliva began to drip unto his face. Long sharp fangs bore into his eyes and Aearion could feel this beast's power. _What… _ Aearion couldn't make out what this beast was, but fear began to take a hold. 'An elf?' The beast mocked, 'What brings a _High Elf_ so far from its precious home?' he spat the word high elf. But the beast let him up. Aearion realised that they were in a large opening with vines covering them from unwanted eyes. '_A dragon?!' _The beast that had ambushed him was large, though not large enough to be considered a terribly fearsome dragon; _the dragon must still be growing… _'Does it surprise you so?' The dragons smiled, great sharp teeth showing intimidation towards the elf. 'Indeed it does, your kind hasn't been seen here for over a thousand years.' Aearion wanted to leave, the dragon didn't seem hostile, but a dragon in Aranion forest was unfortunate news. 'Why are you here, fire-lizard?' the elf asked. 'What business is it of yours? But I suppose you deserve to know, since I did surprise you,' the dragon was mocking him. 'I have no real reason to be here, apart from those dwarves that are rather angry at me for killing their _fair _bearded princess.' As he made that statement, the dragon revealed a large jewelled crown that rested in its paw. 'A dragon cannot resist such a thing of beauty,' the crown glinted in the moonlight. Aearion wasn't interested, 'Tell me, dragon, might I have your name?' The dragon looked at him with new interest, 'I am known as Daeon, and you, elf?' 'Aearion, prince of the High Elves. Which reminds me, have you seen a creature of white that resembles a deer?' Daeon looked to a carcass that had its stomach open and its meat eaten. 'If you seek such a thing, you shall have to look inside my belly,' Aearions felt a weight grow in his heart, 'how am I ever going to explain such a thing?' Daeon was looking at his crown, 'don't explain, you'll find your home in much excitement upon your return.' Aearion looked at him in confusion, but the dragon would answer no questions, Daeon would simply stare at his prize.

Disappointed, Aearion made the journey home. Though, he continued to think about what the Dragon had said, _much excitement, _what could he have meant? Aearion ran quickly towards Naracion, worried about what the dragon said. The High Elves were certainly excited about something, but not of the hunt or of Aearions return. There was talk of a child being found, but no one would explain to the prince with what was happening. His mother, the Queen, was with Lathron and in her arms laid a baby. 'Lathallyn, come see what Faeys has found,' his mother handed him the babe; she could not have been more than a few days old. Aearion did not understand. 'How? Where did the child come from?' Lathron shook his head, but spoke anyway, 'we believe she was a gift from Elvebrindel, for when Faeys had discovered her, there lay Elvebrindels' pendant upon her face.' Aearion once again looked down at the child in his arms. _So young, so frail… _the child lay sleeping in his arms, she looked under-fed and weak. 'The gods are returning to us! It's a sign!' one of the elves shouted out from the ever growing crowd. There was a shout of agreement. 'Nothing is certain, but we shall raise her as one of our own.' Celestia spoke this time.

For once, in a very long time, the queen was smiling.

_A gift from the gods…_

The excitement began to lessen in the home of the High Elves, but talk of the gift was still much. A question would rise about what had happened to the White Deer, and if Aearion had any idea if it was still around, to that, he would simply shake his head and claim he never found it. The High Druid, Lathron, had made the decision to name the child Aeris, it meant Pure Light, or Light of Gods. The Queen had left the care of Aeris to the druids, it was decided she would be raised in their ways, as to honour Elvebrindel. The babe was still young and still gaining what little strength it had. Even though Celestia did not wish to raise the child, she still visited often. She sang to Aeris, of the conquests of her people and about the devastation of the War of the Gods. Lathron had admitted that this child must have been from the gods, for she had Elvebrindels hair and eyes. Curly light golden hair and green eyes which flitted from grey to blue every so often. No one understood who the father was, discussions were rising if the child was Elvebrindels or she was simply created from the divine light of life. Either way they loved Aeris. Aearion did not visit the child often, but when he did he had brought flowers of Melindre, and told her stories of the High Elves and how they had come from royal Elvish blood in the past. He felt a need to protect the child and could not wait for her to grow up and begin training her in the arts of hunting and surviving. Today he wished to visit her once more and had woken early to collect some healing and pretty flowers for the babe. He decided to collect some flowers of Melindre and Eru. When he reached her room, he found Lathron there, he seemed to be painting some sort of charm on her forehead. 'De'aka faui…' he chanted as he drew the symbols of fortune and strength upon her forehead. 'Greetings, Lathron.' Aearion did not wish to startle the druid; Lathron had begun to complete his blessing and looked up. 'Aearion? It is surprising to see your presence here.' He noticed the flowers he had collected. 'Ah, I suppose you wish to tell Aeris the tale of those flowers.' Aearion nodded, he felt slightly embarrassed but Lathron simply smiled, as if he knew something no one else yet did. 'Aearion, though you're young for an elf, I see wisdom and kindness. Elvebrindel chose well.' The prince gained some confusion at that statement, but simply thanked him and sat down next to the High Druid. Aeris was wrapped in a silk blanket, she had already began growing the quickly, the blessing was slightly glowing a slight blue colour. Aearion placed the flowers next to the young one, to which she smiled. 'It is known that talking to our young ones about the past is wise. Our kind has made many mistakes, our future generations must know of these, so as not to make the same ones.' Lathron said as he re-arranged the flowers to make a circle around the child. Aearion nodded in agreement. 'Do you wish to begin or shall I? The tale of Eru and Melindre?' Lathron asked, 'I believe it fitting for you to start such a tale,' Aearion said. Clearing his throat, he began to re-tell the tragic story of Eru and Melindre.

'Too long ago, the elves had split into different factions. Originally, we were like the men, a higher rank and a lower rank. Disagreement took place and we all made the decision to leave and make our own homes. Some elves lived with men, thus the introduction of half-humans. Other elves decided to take over the kingdoms of men, such as Netherwood. But the original higher ranking elves made our way to Aranion, or known to men as Aldwynne forest. Because of our royal and descendant of gods' blood line, we made a pact that we shall have bonding-mates, as to not taint such a bloodline. This tradition has continued on for a very long time. We, as the High elves, were happy. This was before the Great War of the Gods. Happiness and merry-making was oft the happening in this world. The great goddess Elvebrindel had given us our home, the great tree Naracion. Few things worried our kind then, and dealings with men or other such creatures were rare.' Lathron cleared his throat and gestured towards Aearion to continue the tale. 'But a new king of the elves, Ewus, had been elected. He showed great passion and love for his people in the beginning, keeping the tradition going, he vowed never to change this prosperous home of ours. But he never fulfilled that vow. Instead, the greed of men and dwarves alike corrupted his mind. He began to deal off High Elves as companions to other races. Our people rose, but the power of men and other such creatures who had been dealing with Ewus stopped the rising. The High elves are known for their beauty, and many other races of –worlds name- wished to lay with them. Ewus agreed to this for one payment. A dragons egg.' Lathron continued the story. 'Indeed, Ewus had heard the great tales of elves riding these powerful beings. He hoped that if he raised such a beast as his own, it would gain him the ability of flying. The dwarves quickly went to snatching dragon eggs and presenting them to Ewus, but all proved to be infertile. They did not hatch. Angered by this, Ewus sold more and more of his people to gain what he needed and wanted. The dragons were angered by the snatching, but their promise to the gods bound them to do nothing. The High elves began to live in fear, children and lovers were ripped from loved ones. They hoped one day that a saviour would destroy Ewus and his cruel rule, but none came.'

'Eventually, two dwarves presented Ewus an egg. They claimed it was alive, and so it was. The dragon hatched and Ewus rejoiced, he took studying on how to control a dragon. The dragon grew. Ewus never thought of the consequences, he did not know how intelligent dragons were, Ewus had named him Tael, Tael asked many questions, none which Ewus would answer. This angered Tael, but the dragon was bound to Ewus and could not leave nor destroy Ewus. All hope was lost.'

Aearion continued the story. 'Until an elvish woman was born. Melindre. Her bond-mate had been sold to a corrupted society of men, Eru was his name. Hatred took her heart, and she vowed to seek revenge on the elvish King. And so she did, or tried. She had met Ewus's dragon, and tried to convince the beast to destroy. Tael could not destroy Ewus, but Melindre could. Tael helped the elf avenger. Killing Ewus was an easy feat, for Tael could tell Melindre when Ewus was easily killed. And she did so. But at a great cost.' Lathron began to finish the tale, 'The trade of sex slaves were finished, the races who had bought the elves rained down upon Melindre with a great fury. The other elves did nothing to help her, she was given a slow and painful death, but this was not enough. The slave traders had found Eru, they tortured and raped her bond mate in front of her. And yet the other elves still did nothing. Eventually, they killed Eru in a painful way in front of Melindre, it was said her screams could be heard across all the land. Even though Melindre had stopped Ewus's reign, they did nothing to help her, and she died of a broken heart. Her people had left her and so did Eru.'

'As time went on, the elves had realised what they had done. They mourned greatly of Melindres loss. It was said that when Eru and Melindre had finally been murdered, two flowers had begun to grow on their dead bodies. Stricken with grief and the horror of men and dwarves alike, Astra embraced Eru and Melindre to live with her on the moon. No one knows what became of the dragon Tael, but this tale is to remember our mistake of not helping our own. Even though she had stopped the trade of our people like animals. Melindre and Eru now wait for Astra's return, as her servants. Or so that is what was said.' There was a knock on the door. 'Come,' Lathron said. Faeys came in, her Ra'ak not too far behind, but Ra'ak barely fitted in the room. 'Aearion you are needed, your mother requests you.' Aeris had fallen asleep, 'it is time I returned to my work,' Lathron said, nodding. Faeys walked back outside again, her Ra'ak not far behind. Aearion got up but watched the beast, Lathron took his leave as well. Ra'aks are the companions of High Elves, though they only select a few companions. When a Ra'ak joins to an elf, they are bound for life, but they are also bound till death. Aearion had not been chosen for a Ra'ak, though, Faeys had explained that there is a sense of security when hers in near her. Faeys explained that they have the ability to communicate through minds. It was apparently painful when they were too far. Aearion shrugged and began to make his way towards his mother's throne room.

Aeris.

The day was turning for midday; Karnus was summoning the heat to be its hottest through the day. But even his mounts' flames could not melt the snow that had fallen. Whiteness covered the trees and any opening space between them, most of the elves had taken to staying in their homes, but not Aeris. She had woken early this morning to watch Karnus make his climb up towards the sky, and climb he did. Even though the heavy clouds clung to the sky, Karnus' light still reached through in some parts. Aeris was dressed in a heavy cloak and a woollen dress to keep out the cold, but she enjoyed the chill of the cold. The way her skin would tingle when the snow would melt, and her hands would begin to turn red. Snow fascinated her, she did not understand why. Sighing, she began to head towards the thick forest; she desired to head towards the meadow in which the snow always fell. She sighed; thinking about how the ceremony of Felinda would soon be upon her. This ceremony was to mark when an elf was old enough to be considered a woman or a man. Felinda was the elvish tree of a grown woman; Relish was the elvish tree of a grown man. This sort of ceremonies were very important to the elves, they marked their importance and well-being in their culture. And Aeris was almost 500 years of age; soon she would have to take part in this ceremony, much to the queen's delight. _Not too long now… _Aeris wished to get this over and done with as fast as possible and the sooner the better. _And Aearion will be returning home soon. _She began to climb the trees which would guide her to her favourite meadow and thought about Aearions journey. He had left for the North, some business needed attention, and the queen did not wish to go, so instead she decided to let her firstborn go in her place. Aearion had been grumbling about it but he had no choice in the matter, he had promised Aeris that he would return a few days before her ceremony. But he hadn't. She still waited for him, and yet there was no return on the Elvish prince. _Where do you think you're going?_ The voice startled her; she still hadn't become used to her Ra'aks ability to communicate with her. She looked down from the tree, _Alakay, I did not expect you to follow me. _The giant wolf was waiting for her on the ground. This Ra'ak was unlike the others, instead of grey eyes and the usual black fur; she was born with a tan coat, almost like a lions, and green eyes. _Of course I followed you, we're together, are we not? _Aeris nodded and made her way down from the tree. The Ra'ak was already much larger than her, which was impressive because Aeris stood at 5ft'11. She stroked the wolf's soft fur and climbed onto the large wolf. The heat that came off the wolf was magical, she was barely cold. _You seem troubled, Aeris, what is it? _Alakay had begun walking towards their meadow. _I do not wish to take part in my ceremony, and Aearion has not yet returned. _She could feel the companion thinking. The trees began to become less dense; Aeris was still unused to how fast Ra'aks could move, even when they're just walking. Alakay never replied to Aeris; they walked in silence towards the opening. Reaching the meadow, they found that the snow had built up the opening, the whiteness came up towards her thigh; she could feel the snow melting and making her legs feel the cold. Alakay paid no mind to the snow, and simply lay on it. 'I do not understand your fascination for this stuff.' Alakay said, she had forgotten that Ra'aks could speak the tongue of men, but they preferred to communicate through the mind rather than mouth. 'I just like the cold feeling of it.' Aeris replied. The tanned beast gave and impression of a shrug and began to lick herself. Aeris sat on the snow and looked up towards the sky, the clouds were opening up, revealing more snow flakes. 'Do you think he misses her?' Aeris asked no one particular. 'Who?' Alakay questioned, 'Karnus, I imagine his hatred for the gods who murdered Astra is strong.' 'I do not know, we do not share the same creators.' Aeris nodded at that. They spent much time in the opening, Aeris in particular wanted to stay there forever. The next few days were spent preparing for the ceremony. The Queen of the High Elves was very excited for such a ceremony and she left she must take part in every detail. The dress of maiden-hood had already been made; it was made of very fine silk and was pure white. Aeris was trying to remember the normal procedure of the ceremony. A feast would be held, music and dancing then the High Elves would join together to chant and ask for Elvebrindels blessing. After this, she would make the journey to the tree of Felinda, in which she would place her pendant of childhood and in return the spirit of Felinda would give her the spirit of adult-hood. Not too complicated, but this ceremony would last for one day and one night. Full grace and posture must be kept throughout the entire duration. This can be exhausting. Still, she must do what she must do, and do it she shall. The Queen had ordered her to be sent to the bath houses which occupied the lower areas of the tree. Three servants were given the job of cleaning and doing up her hair. The bath house was large; at least 10 tubs of hot water filled the room, all with hot clean water filled to the brim. Aeris's memories remembered that the High Elves did not build this place, but the dwarves did. When the High Elves first moved to this place, they hired the help of dwarves to build these sorts of things. They said that water would have to be boiled and emptied constantly, for no drainage nor heating system existed under any tree. The dwarves were mistaken, however, for underneath the tree they found a great heated area. The elves named it the heart of the tree. Heating and draining the bath houses would be no problem, and so this is how the baths came to be. She thought of this as the servants began to strip and guide her into the hot water. It felt good and clean, they scrubbed her with scented oils and combed her hair and placed it into intricate braids. After this, they began to dry her and talked about how exciting the ceremony would be. They said that because the Queen herself had a hand in such a ceremony, it would be the ceremony of the century. She did not answer their questions; instead, she sat quietly as they finished off perfecting her hair. Tomorrow would be her ceremony, and her heart began to fill with dread. She had been woken early in the morning, dressed and hair done. She did not eat for her stomach would not allow it, she did not understand why she was so nervous. She sensed Alakay's presence near which gave her some comfort but not much. At midday the feasting would begin, but for now all she could do was wait. Aearion still had not returned, the Queen thought nothing of it, but Aeris worried. _His loss… _she thought. She noticed some grapes and bread which had been laid out for her, but she dare not touch it. _Something is wrong. _She shrugged her shoulders and waited for the ceremony to begin. The feast went on for many hours; most of the elves got drunk and danced and ate. Delicious foods were served such as honeyed duck and deer with spices. After the meats and roasted vegetables were served, they were offered sweet fruits such as pickled peaches, figs, raisins and dates. Aeris ate as much as she could, the food was so delicious and she could not stop. The wine she drank little of, it made her feel dizzy and she unused to its effects, instead to sipped on honeyed milk and water which tasted of lemon. By the end of the feast she felt like her stomach would explode at any moment, Alakay ate even more then she did. And after she had her fill she lay down next to her, stomach full and bulging. _Your kind are a merry lot. _Alakay observed as elves went about dancing and singing with each other. _They have a right to, no disaster or misfortune demands otherwise. _Some elves were drunk; others were still feasting, drinking or talking of happy or amusing memories. Castien, Aearions younger brother, was dancing merrily with his bond-mate, Gala. The Queen sat on a larger throne which looked over her people, a few of her maids sat next to her and they were laughing and giggling about some elves who were making fools of themselves. _At least we are fortunate to be in such merry times. _Aerys remarked and she took in the sights, Alakay agreed by sighing and chewing on a bone. Even though the setting was of happiness and safety, Aeris still felt unease in her heart. She felt as though something may turn unwell. Even though guards stood nearby, she could imagine how easily it would be able to sneak in and do something unspeakable. Her stomach groaned and soon to be elf adult realised that she had eaten too much, she prayed that she wouldn't throw up and cause a moment of embarrassment. Suddenly, the queen rose and clapped her hands, marking that all should be quiet. 'My dear people, I see the enjoyment and happiness in your eyes. It brings my heart sorrow that I must stop this, but we must not forget the important purpose of this ceremony.' The elves stopped doing their actions and agreed with the Queen. 'Indeed, today we celebrate Aeris becoming a woman,' Lathron spoke this time. His sudden appearance surprised Aeris, but she quickly remembered that the elf felt no enjoyment in such things. 'Let us guide our sweet gift of Elvebrindel to the tree of Felinda!' There was some cheering and applause. Alakay suddenly rose and positioned herself for Aeris to mount her, which she did. Aerys felt fear, for all the eyes were upon her. She was glad Alakay was her legs, for she feared that she would trip and make a fool of herself. Alakay began to walk towards Lathron and when reaching him, she waited for his command. To this Lathron stroked the Ra'aks large head and spoke, 'We all know and understand that the journey to womanhood must be accompanied by three other elves. And for that, I have decided.' Lathron began to look to his chosen elves. 'Gala, Ellius and Faeys,' the three elvish women stepped forward. 'Let them be your guides to this holy place,' Lathron spoke softly towards Aeris and Alakay. And so Aeris began her journey to woman hood. The journey would only take a few hours, Faeys allowed Gala to join her on her Ra'ak and Ellius rode on Alakay with Aeris. The going was rather fast, and if fortune was with them, they should reach the spirit tree soon and return home by dawn. No words were passed between them, not even Alakay would speak to her companion. As they proceeded through the forest, Aeris noticed that the trees here gave off a blue or purple light. _This place truly belongs to the spirits, _Aeris thought. Singing could be heard from the spirits that dwelled her, they were kind spirits. They sang many beautiful songs, everyone was different. Some were happiness others were more melancholia. But her heart beat faster as they walked towards her place of womanhood. Suddenly, Faeys' Ra'ak stopped and his ears twitched. 'What's wrong?' Faeys asked concerned, 'Something's wrong…' Indeed, something was wrong. The spirits had stopped their songs, the forest was much too quiet. Alakays hackles rose. 'A presence comes.' The elves listened but heard nothing. Ra'aks were masters at hearing, it was impossible to sneak up on such a beast. A curse was suddenly said and a force pushed Aeris down from her companion. She saw two dark figures wrestling with the two Ra'aks, Faeys had been knocked down. Another figure appeared from the glowing trees and grabbed Gala, slitting her throat he pushed her dead body off and started walking to his next victim. Ellius screamed and tried to run but the dark figure was much too quick. He grabbed her and tried to silence her, they tackled each other but the dark figure was over-powering her. Aeris was panicking; she had brought no weapon and couldn't defend herself or anyone else. Her Ra'ak was busy with the other dark figure and Faeys was trying to pry the dark figure off her Ra'ak. Ellius was still trying to get the figure off her, with no success yet. Aeris thought quickly, she had to do something. She tried casting a spell on the figure that was tackling Ellius, without her Oris Lathron had given her, all the spell did was make the figure stagger slightly; he quickly regained his balance though and stabbed Ellius through the heart. Aeris began to scream, she was helpless. No words would reach her mouth and all she could see was Gala's and Ellius's dead bodies on the ground. Faeys had finally snapped the neck of the attacker and Alakay had finally clawed the figures belly, revealing bloody entrails. He screamed and slunk to the floor in shock. Blood dripped from Alakays mouth and she began to look for her companion to be sure she was well. The Ra'ak found her next to Gala's and Ellius's bodies, sat on the ground; crying and screaming. Faeys had a large gash that reached across her thigh to her shin. Once she saw what had happened to the two other elves she quietly crawled over to them, hand on her bleeding leg. All Faeys could muster was a whisper. Begging Elvebrindel to send their souls to the Ever-lasting forest.

Aeris woke up a few days after, images of what had happened a few days before flashed before all the time. She wept and pained, but nothing could bring them back. Apparently the Queen had gone personally to collect her pendant of woman-hood, but that didn't matter much to Aeris anymore. When they had brought the bodies back, it was said that Castien had screamed and wailed for many hours. Ellius's bond-mate had left with Aearion, Aeris did not envy the man who would have to break the news to him. Alakay had received a few wounds from the attackers, and demanded to remain and Aeris's side. The big Ra'ak barely fitted into her room, but that did not matter. Aeris would sob into her fur every hour. She did not want to accept what had happened. Anger and sadness filled the High Elves emotions. Most were in mourning, others wanted to seek vengeance. A large burial service was held, but this did not comfort nor help the elves who were suffering with the sudden deaths. Aeris was so distraught she did not realise that one of the attacker's blades had reached her side, a large gash made itself at home on the side of her stomach. It was ugly and slow to heal. Lathron visited the newly woman every day, he cleaned out her wounds and talked softly to her. He told her of happier times and stories and what was happening with the people. She appreciated the comfort, but the sudden loss of her friends was too great. She flitted between nightmares and being awake. Food was given, but she never touched it. All she could think of was why this had happened. When she asked Lathron he gave no answer. Once he said that he feared the monsters from the Crag had begun preparing for war. Aeris recalled the Crag, she did not think about it much for there was no reason to. The Crag was a large opening in this world. Out poured disfigured and corrupted creatures, no one understood why it was there or why it came to be. Some blamed the gods for their lack of interaction with them; some believed that the War of the God's would be once more. Aeris never gave it much thought. But now that she thought of the attackers' appearance, they could not have been man or dwarf. They abominations, instead of teeth, they had fangs, and their blood was black and corrupted with the smell of evil. She turned on her side, Lathron singing to her. 'Has there been any news of Aearion?' she asked the High Druid, 'Indeed there has, a messenger has been sent to say they're only a day away. His prince shall return tonight. Though, I do not know how his companions will take the news of this sudden… misfortune.' _Misfortune… _The word didn't sound enough. Aeris felt no words could describe what happened that forsaken night. Her heart grew heavy. The hours flew by, Alakay slept and snored still healing from her inflicted wounds. Aearion had not visited her upon his return. She felt disappointment and sadness at such a thing, but his younger brother would need more comfort then she would. She sat up and pulled on a simple outfit. _I will visit my friends… _She began to walk out the door, Alakay still sleeping peacefully. That made her smile, but it quickly turned into a frown. _I have no right to smile. _Making her way to her dead friends, she noticed how dead her home looked. No elves walked nor went around attending work. _They're all in mourning. _She thought. It is a most terrible when one of their people die. As High Elves live for so long, they form many strong friendships and all elves know each other well. The deaths of Gala and Ellius would have taken some sort of toll on all the elves. Aeris made her way to their graves. Where the elves are buried is deep in the forest, their graves are on an opening so their souls can go easily to Elvebrindels embrace. When she got there, she saw Castien mourning over Gala's grave. She said nothing, but made sure her presence was known to him. He didn't even look up to her. She looked at Ellius' grave, some blue roses had been planted here, and a blessing was laid carefully. Aeris spoke some words, but not much. She looked over to Castien who was now in a standing position. She went to go comfort him, but he blocked her. 'Don't.' he said. 'I'm sorry,' Aeris said, tears welling in her eyes. 'You should be.' 'I am.' He looked at her, uneasiness was felt in her stomach, it was the way he looked at Aeris. 'I blame you. I blame you _gift from the gods.' _He pushed her out the way and walked towards the thicker part of the woods. Tears rolled down her face. _I blame me too…_ Her wound had re-opened from the push and began to bleed, she did not care, however, and the blood trickled down. _It should be I in the ground. _


End file.
